At 19, I worked as a telemarketer (ugh!) and was introduced to smoking pot. This was certainly a new twist in an already twisted life. It's not difficult to figure out what effect that had on my weight. As I began to socialize with my co-workers, they developed a nickname for me: Coke Man. I was drinking large amounts of Coca-Cola at work, at play, at home, wherever. I was rarely seen around without a bottle of Coke in my hand. There is no doubt that the soda did more to bloat me up than ANYTHING else. It went with everything I ate and stood alone when I wasn't eating. If you want to do 1 huge favor for yourself, give up the sodas. NOW!
As I entered my 20's, I was still living with my folks and without any real focus. One of my truly huge mistakes was not attending college and graduating with my class. If I had been on track, I'd have been a college grad by 1983 with mathematics and computer knowledge at a very opportune time. It was about this time that a few new inventions came out: the compact disc, the computer mouse, and other little novelties. A talented programmer in those days had it made. I didn't make it. Instead, I watched the beginning of the computer revolution pass me by.
The places I worked didn't help much with the weight problem. A fish and chips restaurant, a Baskin & Robbins, 7-11 and other convenience stores, self-serve gas stations all with access to free soda and edibles. So I had countless jobs but no career. My parents actually wanted me to live with them rent free and I wasn't really motivated to get out on my own.
Life drifted along until the age of about 24. At this time I finally landed a full-time "real" job working in a warehouse. It was a 6 month assignment but it was a start. Also, I was part of a tight knit community based in a little 10 lane bowling center in downtown Hayward, CA. My resume improved along with my bowling skills. Tennis became a hobby along with the occasional poker game. Little things that helped me feel somewhat more "grown up".
Age 24 is about the time I passed the 300 lb. mark. It was also the time a few nice things happened as well. I was a member of a tournament bowling organization and in one tourney I came in 3rd place to win $100. Then came the tournament I actually took 1st place for $500! In 1985 dollars! The money is long gone but I still have the pennant declaring me as champion. Then there was my introduction to casino gambling. I went with my friends from the bowling community up to Reno on 2 trips. The first time I sat down at a blackjack table I won $300. Then the 2nd trip I sat down at the table with $40, played there all night and walked away with $1000! Wow, this gambling stuff was sure easy! And everywhere I turned around there were nice, cheap buffets to indulge my ever more demanding appetite.
Life goes on in the next post as I struggle to actually GET a life...
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| From rags... |
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| ...to riches! |
So the training was moving right along as I learned, worked, ate, lived and breathed this new way of life. My 3 friends stayed right with me and trained me as I didn't miss a session. The bi-weekly weigh-ins were a big event and more people around the gym were taking notice. On days in between the training sessions, I used an area inside the gym as a makeshift indoor track. I just went in and walked laps around the path I carved out. Later on I started carrying increasingly heavy dumbells as I walked. Then I'd curl them or press them as the laps piled up. It was an effective way for me to supplement my regimen.
As all this was going on, I maintained contact with my original trainer and we'd email or speak on the phone occasionally. We confided in one another about a few personal things. After a little over a year since that first day I walked into the gym, I made a decision. I felt a sense of loyalty toward this first person - yeah, let's call it that - and made preparations to go back to training with her as a private client. I rationalized that I couldn't take advantage of these 3 people forever training with them for free. To say the least, it didn't go over smoothly. You're supposed to learn from your mistakes. I was about to learn volumes! (By the way, when it comes to making mistakes, I am a GrandMaster...)
The next phase of training with my original instructor consisted of outdoor exercise. We'd meet at a certain park or the local community college and I was running up and down little hills with a backpack full of books. Also, I'd do many many exercises with weights, body weight resistance, and calisthenics in the great outdoors. On days in between, I'd still go to the gym and do water aerobics, spin class, and walk my laps with the weights until it felt like my arms would fall off.
After a while, though, it was becoming clear that she was losing her enthusiasm for training me. At times we'd have sessions where she was just mailing it in. I was really questioning my decision to leave my tag team. Then came the day (April 3, 2010 to be exact) she simply disappeared. We were scheduled for a training session and I showed up but she didn't. No call to cancel, nothing. I left message after message on her voice mail, but she never returned any of them. She was just gone.
I have a tendency to smother a person with gratitude when he or she does something nice for me. Well, I felt like this first trainer had done me the biggest favor in my life that first day at the gym. I was profusely grateful. It took a while, but when it became clear that she was gone, I became bitter. My resentment toward this person surpassed the gratitude, which was no small thing. After a very very long time all those intense emotions faded and now I just shrug all that old stuff off.
But at this point of the story, I felt abandoned and at a loss for what to do next. A real case of "What do I do now?" So what did I do? Tune in next time...
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